Normally, the judges responsible for scoring include at least eighth-tier experts among their ranks.
They only need to give scores without providing explanations.
After all, given their experience, evaluating fifth or sixth-tier students who haven’t yet seen the frontlines is more than enough—there’s no room for misjudgment.
Even if some subjective bias might creep into their scoring—since humans aren’t machines, and absolute fairness is impossible—the average score would still be roughly accurate.
This year, Jiangxia had over four thousand martial examinees.
There’s no way each of them could receive personalized comments.
Do you think they’re just a bunch of lousy writers?
Besides, even the worst writer could only manage four thousand words a day at most.
The reason these two stood out was because Guardian Jiang personally gave them scores and comments.
This made their evaluations far more valuable than the others’.
It might even become a hot topic before the third phase of testing began.
……
After confirming her victory, Liu Yuan leaped lightly off the stage.
Despite the ongoing chatter around her, she paid no attention.
She walked straight through the exit tunnel.
Within a hundred meters, she couldn’t sense Su Qi’s presence.
So she took out her phone, her slender fingers tapping the screen a few times.
【Iris: Brother, where are you?】
Within seconds, her screen lit up.
Su Qi replied almost instantly.
【Sleepyhead: Last row of the audience seats, near the exit.】
Liu Yuan’s expression instantly brightened.
She weaved through the noisy crowd, searching for that familiar figure.
Finally, in the corner of the stands—
“Brother~”
She dashed over with a bright smile, looking like an entirely different person from the cold, expressionless fighter on the stage.
“The cards you made for me are amazing! Even though my opponent was a tier above me, they couldn’t fight back at all.”
Su Qi reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
“I saw. But…”
“But what?” Liu Yuan tilted her head, a mix of anticipation and unease in her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Anyone would know—no matter how nice the first half of a sentence sounds, once “but” follows, everything before it becomes meaningless, just a setup for the second half.
Especially since Su Qi hadn’t even praised her.
“No more playing with your phone during matches,” Su Qi said, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “Focus. At least show your opponent some respect.”
Liu Yuan pouted.
“…I just wanted to finish quickly so I could find you.”
Su Qi sighed softly and dropped the subject.
What’s it like having an overly clingy little sister?
Su Qi couldn’t quite explain it.
He wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.
Well, whatever.
It wasn’t like he needed this silly girl to stand on her own just yet.
She had a protective charm on her anyway—she wouldn’t be easily harmed.
Though he wasn’t sure about the exact strength of that ‘Abyss’ card, Su Qi estimated it had to be at least eleventh or even twelfth-tier.
Even if Liu Yuan’s physical limits prevented it from unleashing its full power, it should still be enough to thrash Guardian Jiang, right?
Otherwise, what was the point of all the points he’d spent and the countless hours of training?
Basically, as long as she didn’t run into an Invoker summoning a ‘Deity,’ this silly girl wouldn’t face any real danger within Great Xia.
But speaking of which—why hadn’t he gotten any 【Pleasure】 points today?
That didn’t make sense.
He’d even squeezed in two training sessions before the match!
Had the points dried up?
Or had the threshold for gaining 【Pleasure】 increased?
Su Qi felt he needed to investigate further.
A stable source of points wasn’t something to take lightly.
After some thought, he stood up. “Let’s go home.”
……
The streets were bustling, filled with people and endless streams of cars.
The two walked side by side, weaving through the crowd, moving against the tide of noise.
Liu Yuan glanced at Su Qi. He’d been unusually quiet for a while now.
“Brother, what’s on your mind?”
Su Qi shook his head lightly. “Nothing.”
It was only around two in the afternoon, yet the streets were packed with hurried pedestrians.
After a moment of silence, a strange thought crossed Su Qi’s mind—if he hadn’t awakened his special talent that day, he might have ended up just like them.
Going to school, taking exams, working, raising a family—repeating the same cycle day after day until the end.
“Brother?” Liu Yuan called out again when Su Qi fell into thought once more.
“It’s nothing,” Su Qi said, snapping out of it. “I was just thinking… most people’s life paths are set from the very beginning.”
“Changing it… is too hard.”
Most are confined by their family’s expectations, walking the same paths their parents did—or the ones their parents deemed ‘better’—generation after generation, in an endless loop.
“So…?” Liu Yuan tilted her head.
Why was this dummy suddenly getting so philosophical?
Had seeing all these poor, overworked office workers triggered some deep reflection?
“So, I was wondering if sleeping in every day is a waste of my time…”
Liu Yuan: ???
Out of all the possible serious topics, she hadn’t expected this to be the one he’d dwell on.
She stretched onto her tiptoes, trying to feel his forehead.
But thanks to their height difference, she fell just short.
So she gave a tiny hop.
Finally, her fingers brushed his forehead—just for a split second.
But his temperature seemed normal. No fever.
Tentatively, she asked, “Maybe… you should change your username first?”
Su Qi blinked. “Why?”
Liu Yuan gave him the same confused look any freshly adult girl would. “Huh? Didn’t you just say you’re wasting your life?”
Su Qi nodded seriously. “Right. So, if we’re both sleeping, why can’t we just count it as one person’s time?”
Liu Yuan: ???
Is that how math works?!
And you’re seriously contemplating this nonsense after all that deep thinking?!
【Pleasure +999】
Seeing the points finally appear, Su Qi’s worries vanished.
Good. His little sister wasn’t broken yet.
…Wait, no—his special ability was still functioning.
Maybe after so many training sessions, the threshold for gaining 【Pleasure】 from Liu Yuan had increased.
It seemed he needed to adjust his tactics.
Perhaps… try something a little more unconventional?
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
